It's (probably) a girl! Introducing my new baby BFA

[Ladyhawk]

Her little erupting wing feathers now look like paint brushes. That video with the toy, too cute! "Big eagle, big eagle" They develop so fast, I really appreciate you sharing her growing up experience. She is, truly, adorable beyond words.

Great minds think alike? I always called this the "paintbrush stage" when I was raising greys and Senegals. XD I've seen macaws in the paintbrush stage and their paintbrushes have been dipped in so many wonderful colors! Blue fronts are among the loveliest of the Amazons, IMO, especially Kiwi's subspecies with the extra yellow on the wings. I'm pretty sure my little one is Amazona aestiva aestiva. I'm completely in love. It doesn't matter what subspecies she is.

Perhaps you could answer a question for me. Apparently, I'm not entering the right words into Google: Does a baby blue front keep the same pattern of blue, yellow and green on their heads or does it change as they get older? My little one's skin has become darker just above her nares, lighter where the yellow is erupting on the top of her head and dark where the green is just beginning. She also has yellow feathers coming in on the sides of her beak.

By the time he was ten, Gabby's head was mostly yellow, but he just kept getting more and more pretty with each passing year. Before the local vet's office knocked out half his tail feathers to get an X-ray, he was as gorgeous as he'd ever been. Despite the double yellowhead's bad reputation, Gabby was a good and loyal companion. Occasionally, I got a pinch when he was in a bad mood, but overall, he was a very good bird. I'll miss him for the rest of my life. Without my mother's help, I'm not sure I would have made it through the worst of my grief.

 

[SailBoat]

There are a couple members of the Amazon family who's 'Markings' colors continue to expand well into they're early Adult years, example: Yellow Napes.

The large Blue-fronted Amazon family (five - six members depending on the author) expand (enhance) their 'Markings' colors over their first four+ moltings.

Through their lives, Amazons can push an odd colored feather or two here and there. A yellow feather in a field of green or a green in a field of yellow, etc...

 

[Ladyhawk]

There are a couple members of the Amazon family who's 'Markings' colors continue to expand well into they're early Adult years, example: Yellow Napes.

The large Blue-fronted Amazon family (five - six members depending on the author) expand (enhance) their 'Markings' colors over their first four+ moltings.

Through their lives, Amazons can push an odd colored feather or two here and there. A yellow feather in a field of green or a green in a field of yellow, etc...

That makes sense, considering other Amazons do the same thing. Even Gabby's pattern expanded a little after age 10, just a bit every year. He was a beautiful, beautiful DYH. Thanks! Oddly, the Internet is hard to pin down on a few things regarding parrots. I usually don't have any problems with Googling, but suddenly with baby blue front, I'm having trouble finding what I need to know. This forum is a godsend.

 

[SailBoat]

Amazona colorations within a species can vary greatly. The common method of determining what Amazon one has is to take a rough description of the Amazon. Looking at size, weight, coloration of Beak and Nails and general coloration of Body. With the use of a written description of those Amazons who are close based on the rough description. From there, specific written descriptions are used. That description with the greatest number of found items is the most likely the Amazon one has.

Since the family of Blue-Fronted Amazons has five or six members depending on the Author. They can be very difficult to define until they are in full Adult feathering, which can be several years old to near twenty years old.

It is real fun when someone presents a rear-quarter photo of an Amazons and asked, what kind of Amazon to I have. Oh, and I do not know how old.

DYH Amazons commonly gather around their nominate as a family, but there are those outliers that will leave one to question their species. As you know, there are specific lower neck coloration patterns with Yellow dominating, occasional green feathers and this splash lines of Red. What does one do with an DYH with a green lower neck? Ahhhh, the fun!

 

[Ladyhawk]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsh09VWdJfc"]Baby Blue Front, 5-29-17 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Inger]

Baby Blue Front, 5-29-17 - YouTube

So cute. Oh, and thanks so much for mentioning the song that never ends. Ha!


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[Ladyhawk]

Baby after her first bath. I didn't keep her in the water too long and afterward I wrapped her a towel so she wouldn't get chilled. After a bath, a parrot always feels better.

[ame="https://youtu.be/uzmNjqjtqAE"]Baby Blue Front after Her First Bath, 5-30-17 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Kiwibird]

She is really active isn't she? And plump I am just loving watching this baby grow up. Wish I could stick Kiwi in a time machine and send him back to this precious age.

I have to ask, did the olive oil just happen to be there or did you moisturize baby with it?

 

[Ladyhawk]

She is really active isn't she? And plump I am just loving watching this baby grow up. Wish I could stick Kiwi in a time machine and send him back to this precious age.

I have to ask, did the olive oil just happen to be there or did you moisturize baby with it?

I've always used just a tiny bit of olive oil on rubber parts of syringes. I wash, disinfect and rinse a finger, spray some olive oil on and apply just enough to make the syringe work smoothly. After applying it, I move the plunger up and down several times before sucking up some warm formula. One cause of aspiration is the syringe sticking. In order to get it moving again, a hand-feeder may push too hard and when the plunger moves, too much formula may go into the baby's mouth at the wrong time. O-ring syringes are better for hand-feeding because they don't have as much rubber. If you add just a touch of olive oil, an o-ring syringe will slide very smoothly and you can accelerate or put on the brakes as needed. I tend to feed carefully rather than quickly. I never had to learn to feed quickly because I never had too many little ones at the same time. This way, she'll actually taste her food and become an active participant in how I feed her.

I would suck as a hand-feeder in a big facility. I've seen how fast some people feed and quite frankly, it scares me.

After I feed, I use soap and water to remove any olive oil from the syringe. This time around, I'm using a baby bottle steamer to disinfect all feeding instruments. The fewer chemicals around, the better. When I get ready to feed, I apply just a tiny amount of olive oil to the rubber o-ring again.

And yes, she's very aware of everything and is starting to get active, except when she's asleep. She still needs plenty of sleep and that's fine with me. I need a bit of rest between feedings, myself.

And is she ever cute and cuddly? :07::07::07: I can't believe my Gabby bird was ever this size. Sometimes, I'd imagine him hatching. He had to have hatched, right? Even though I bred greys and Senegals and saw the pipping and hatching first-hand I couldn't apply it to Gabby. He was too self-assured and ornery to have ever been that tiny and helpless. XD

 

[Inger]

I love this thread and that olive oil tip is a good one - will help anytime I have to use a syringe!


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[adurity90]

Lovely baby. He/ she looks very healthy ☺️ I have 5 babies myself hehe.

 

[Ladyhawk]

Lovely baby. He/ she looks very healthy ☺️ I have 5 babies myself hehe.

That's quite the handful you have there! XD Fistful o' Amazons. How cute! Back when I was raising greys and Senegals, I figured I might as well have several because just one takes all your time, anyway.

This is my first Amazon. I don't recall the exact number of African greys and Senegals I raised. I once raised a clutch of Meyer's parrots for a friend, but it's been so long ago I can't remember how many were in that clutch. I recall the baby / babies were adorable and progressed in much the same way the little Senegals did. I also did sporadic hand-feeding of macaws at a pet store where I worked. Talk about a feeding response! Hang on for the ride!

 

[adurity90]

Lovely baby. He/ she looks very healthy ☺️ I have 5 babies myself hehe.

That's quite the handful you have there! XD Fistful o' Amazons. How cute! Back when I was raising greys and Senegals, I figured I might as well have several because just one takes all your time, anyway.

This is my first Amazon. I don't recall the exact number of African greys and Senegals I raised. I once raised a clutch of Meyer's parrots for a friend, but it's been so long ago I can't remember how many were in that clutch. I recall the baby / babies were adorable and progressed in much the same way the little Senegals did. I also did sporadic hand-feeding of macaws at a pet store where I worked. Talk about a feeding response! Hang on for the ride!

Yes they are quite the handful. 3 of 5 im keeping. I have raised only zons i hope this will be the last time i have to raise them from infancy they are so demanding! Hope you enjoy the experience once again

 

[Ladyhawk]

For now, the baby blue-fronted Amazon's name is Bijou, although I reserve the right to change it if needed.

It fits. She is a jewel with her emerald green, ruby red, golden yellow, lovely turquoise and soon-to-emerge flights lined in lapis lazuli blue and obsidian black. Enjoy today's video.

[ame="https://youtu.be/iiVQDniYBPw"]Baby Blue-Front Bijou, 6-1-17 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[KimMichele]

Really cute. I hear that Amazons are very easy birds to keep, relatively speaking.

 

[Kiwibird]

These videos are fantastic and I like the (tentative) name of Bijou! Just amazing to see her doing behaviors instinctually that adult amazons do even though she isn't even really feathered yet. Guess she has to practice! I notice her beak is changing shape and looking more and more like a true parrots beak now too. I bet she will be left footed. Kiwi is, though I see him use his right sometimes too, just depending on what he's up to.

 

[Kiwibird]

Really cute. I hear that Amazons are very easy birds to keep, relatively speaking.

Amazons are pretty adaptable to life as pets when properly cared for, trained and socialized. They tend to be real "go with the flow" birds and are a little more independent/less attention needy and are not as prone to some behavioral problems as other species. That is all true. However, they also are not known for being the cuddliest species ever and most get a big attitude when they hit puberty. That can turn into aggression issues year round, sexually aggressive behavior and overbonding issues IF hormonal behaviors aren't handled properly. Especially with "hot 3" amazons (DYH, YNA, BFAs). Our male BFA is about the best behaved bird you could ask for in general, but he isn't real cuddly, doesn't want to be petted and he gets rather aggressive for a few weeks a year during the breeding season. Otherwise, he's a wonderful companion and a constant source of entertainment and joy Like every species, they have their good and bad points. Personally though, I'm not sure I'd ever want another species besides amazons and even appreciate their fiercely independent and don't take crap for anyone attitude

 

[Ladyhawk]

Really cute. I hear that Amazons are very easy birds to keep, relatively speaking.

Amazons are pretty adaptable to life as pets when properly cared for, trained and socialized. They tend to be real "go with the flow" birds and are a little more independent/less attention needy and are not as prone to some behavioral problems as other species. That is all true. However, they also are not known for being the cuddliest species ever and most get a big attitude when they hit puberty. That can turn into aggression issues year round, sexually aggressive behavior and overbonding issues IF hormonal behaviors aren't handled properly. Especially with "hot 3" amazons (DYH, YNA, BFAs). Our male BFA is about the best behaved bird you could ask for in general, but he isn't real cuddly, doesn't want to be petted and he gets rather aggressive for a few weeks a year during the breeding season. Otherwise, he's a wonderful companion and a constant source of entertainment and joy Like every species, they have their good and bad points. Personally though, I'm not sure I'd ever want another species besides amazons and even appreciate their fiercely independent and don't take crap for anyone attitude

Even though Gabby was a complete brat at times, he was also completely lovable. I never expected him to be anything other than he was: an Amazon parrot. He was interactive on his terms. I even learned a few things later in his life. For example, he liked to have his toenails rubbed. He was very sensitive about his feet and I think it was because the feet themselves were so sensitive. A toenail rub actually felt good because he had a lot of keratin between my fingers and the quick of the nail. He'd let me rub his toenails as long as I wanted. During his last week, I broke all the rules, let him sit on my shoulder and rubbed his toenails all day long. I didn't have a hospital cage, so I let my body warm his all day long. I wish I could have done it all night long, too. I miss him so much.

It's true Amazons tend to be able to entertain themselves better than some parrots. The "needy" parrots are the ones that tend to feather pick. More independent parrots like Amazons will often develop aggression issues. You have to stay on top of behavioral issues as they arise so you don't lose control. And it has to be done sensitively. I used to work on behavioral problems of parrots in a pet store. What works well for one bird might utterly fail or even backfire in another bird. There's a lot of info out there. One thing that never works is physical correction. Not only is it dangerous and wrong to hit a sensitive creature like a parrot, it's counterproductive. I saw an employee in a local pet shop strike a greenwinged macaw on the beak. Yeah. Good luck ever getting that bird to trust you, dummy.

 

[Ladyhawk]

If you think I'm indecisive, remember that most mothers have nine months to prepare for the arrival of a baby. XD I've been thinking that "Bijou" might be difficult for the baby to pronounce. "P's" and "B's" are tough if you don't have lips and so are sibilant consonants and I think the "j" qualifies as such. Hmmmm...must think more about dilemma.

 

[Ladyhawk]

Signs of being left-footed:

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Somebirdy with a turquoise patch over her nose needs a sponge bath.

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Falling asleep under a warm washcloth after a sponge bath to clean up stray bits of formula and soften keratin sheaths around incoming feathers: